HELP! Failed System Restore

[Josh]

OK Folks, it's 1AM and I am out of ideas. My wife attempted to do a system restore on Windows vista due to a network issue we were having. After starting the process, the system now boots to the welcome screen and then restarts itself. Sometimes we can enter a password, sometimes not, but even in safe mode or VGA mode, it still restarts. I am out of ideas and call upon the mercies of the DC Community for help.

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Quandries?

[mouser]

go back in time and stop her from doing a system restore.

[heidiroo]

Hi there, Allen's wife here, did you receive any errors during the system restore?  Do you have your windows discs?  You can attempt to run the restore again from there:

Use the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to run System Restore

1) Insert the Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.

2) Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …". appears.

3) Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.

4) Click Repair your computer.

5) In the System Recovery Options dialog box, choose the drive of your Windows installation and click Next

6) At the System Recovery Options Dialog Box, click on System Restore.

7) Follow the System Restore Wizard instruction as usual and choose the appropriate restore point.

Click Finish to restore the system.

[cranioscopical]

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Quandries?

File system corrupted in some way?
Checked the drive from some external media (install disk/recovery console or whatnot)?

[Josh]

heidiroo! I have to say, your option helped me but not in the way intended. I had my wife run the system recovery disc that an in-law burned for her, as such, it ran startup repair procedures and also attempted a system restore of it's own. As such, the system is working partially, although not completely as I still cannot access various ports on my PC (FTP, Remote Desktop, VNC, etc) despite them being allowed through the firewall. Any ideas there? The windows firewall being disabled doesn't resolve the issue. This is something that is placating my very existence!

[steeladept]

heidiroo! I have to say, your option helped me but not in the way intended. I had my wife run the system recovery disc that an in-law burned for her, as such, it ran startup repair procedures and also attempted a system restore of it's own. As such, the system is working partially, although not completely as I still cannot access various ports on my PC (FTP, Remote Desktop, VNC, etc) despite them being allowed through the firewall. Any ideas there? The windows firewall being disabled doesn't resolve the issue. This is something that is placating my very existence!

I'm not Heidi, but I can tell you that it is not unusual that you loose some functionality like that.  Typically it is because you are using a generic system repair rather than your own.  You can *attempt* another system repair using your own system now that those parts of the OS are operating again, but usually the best and simplest way is to just reinstall the programs (VNC, FTP client, etc.).  Hope that helps.

[Clive]

• First the caveat - I'm no geek nor nerd & in this company my knowledge base is comparatively small. I recently had an issue with my satellite modem where everything appeared to be functioning, but I couldn't browse or do email. After doing all the usual tests with the assistance of the ISP I finally resorted to doing a system restore. This resolved the problem. When I rang the ISP helpdesk to advise them what I had done the guy said " Oh yes it was probably the network drivers which had become corrupted & you could have fixed that by going into Device Manager rather than doing a System Restore."Apparently the computer keeps a backup of the driver so the procedure is:1 Control panel2 Admin Tools3 Computer management4 Device manager5 network adaptorsselect the approriate network driver, uninstall then re-install Hope that helps.

[Shades]

A while ago I tried the OnlineArmor firewall out. Nice product and all. However after a few days I experience network flukes that disconnected me from the netand the first thought that sprang into mind: "lets turn the firewall off".

That did not help, so deactivating was tried. Still no solution to my problem. Then I checked with a separate port scanner and Then I saw that ports were still closed despite the disabled firewall.

At least for me it was a lesson learned. Always check if ports are open even if the firewall says it is turned off.

[Curt]

System Restore not completing? This may help.

         If you have been unsuccessful in getting System Restore to complete and possibly have not received an error message informing you of why:

         1: Check your Security Software first. Programs such as Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Zone Alarm, AVG and many others. Norton has a Product Tamper Protection that must be turned off before running System Restore. Another issue is that you may have malware and or virus's that are stored in a Restore Point that you didn't know and the Security Software is protecting you from it being spread.

         Note: Not all versions of Security Software have blockers. I am not sure of which versions but there are so many, it's just a matter of finding your version and checking.


         2: Check for Malware\Virus that may be stored in the Restore Points. I use MalwareBytes personally but everyone has their preference.


         3: There may be a chance of an old program you uninstalled that has left a few files behind that may be interfering. Many Software makers especially Security Software offer Removal Tools. If you have software you have uninstalled and think it's still lingering, check their website\s and see if they offer a tool.


         4: Try System Restore at Boot using Command Prompt and see if this may work for you.
         Step 1: Restart your computer, and then press and hold F8 during the initial startup to start your computer in safe mode with a Command prompt.
         Step 2: Use the arrow keys to select the Safe mode with a Command prompt option.
         Step 3: If you are prompted to select an operating system, use the arrow keys to select the appropriate operating system for your computer, and then press ENTER.
         Step 4: Log on as an administrator or with an account that has administrator credentials.
         Step 5: At the command prompt, type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe, and then press ENTER.
         Step 6: Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to a functional state.


Applies to XP, Vista and Windows 7
http://forum.thewindowsclub.com/windows-tips-tutorials-articles/32512-system-restore-not-completing-may-help.html

[Edvard]

May I interrupt this thread to welcome Allen's wife to the fold...

Welcome Heidiroo!
It appears your advice is quite useful, and if there's more where that came from, you'll probably find this place to your liking.
And may I say good choice on Allen's part finding a life partner (or was that your doing?... ) that's on a similar level of tech interest...  

@Josh: Sorry to say I can't be more helpful, but I could NEVER bring myself to trust System Restore.
I say backup the important stuff (license keys, family pictures, etc.) then nuke it and reinstall.
TA-DA!! System restored!

[Stoic Joker]

For the really odd network issues like everythings live but somehow still not connected, keep these two in mind:

netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt

When you run the reset command, it rewrites two registry keys that are used by TCP/IP. This has the same result as removing and reinstalling the protocol. The reset command rewrites the following two registry keys:
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP\Parameters\


netsh winsock reset

This command resets the Winsock catalog to the default configuration. This can be useful if a malformed LSP is installed that results in loss of network connectivity. While use of this command can restore network connectivity, it should be used with care because any previously-installed LSPs will need to be re-installed.

Note that resetting the Winsock using netsh winsock reset catalog command in SP2 removes all the third-party LSPs and restores Winsock to factory default setting. Existing programs that uses their own LSPs, need to be reinstalled again. Example.. Google Desktop Search.


Much time and aganoy has been saved with these.